In modern agricultural industries, accuracy is essential. Accurate record keeping, automated mapping, and precision farming techniques have all become crucial factors in the challenge to improve overall crops yields and comply with the ever increasing number of environmental regulations. The accurate application of herbicides, pesticides and fertilizers is an essential component of modern precision farming methodologies. Whether such applications are performed by aerial or terrestrial techniques, advanced tools that provide highly accurate navigation and guidance information for operators have become a requirement.
The transfer of global positioning system (GPS) technologies to civilian industry has greatly assisted in meeting the challenges presented by today's precision agricultural needs. Using GPS systems, accurate and highly reliable satellite-based positioning information, which typically achieves meter-level accuracy by utilizing differential GPS (DGPS) position corrections transmitted from fixed base stations, is provided to operators, for example though moving map displays. Such information allows for navigation and guidance of farm implements and systems utilizing DGPS technology have been used to assist in the aerial and terrestrial application of fertilizers, herbicides and pesticides, etc. However, such systems have generally been limited in their capabilities.
Moreover, even though these limited precision agricultural methodologies have become popular with the commercialization of GPS systems, to date such methodologies have not included the use of real time kinematic (RTK) GPS equipment which allows for centimeter-level accuracy.